Get Away and unwind to peaceful nature sounds

Away ~ Meditation & mindfulness to sleep, relax, focus, breathe ($2.99) by Franz Bruckhoff of Taptanium is a beautiful white noise app that is sure to help you achieve zen after a hectic day. If you’re a fan of the other apps like Thunderspace and Windy, then you will love what Away brings to your iOS device.

I’ve been going through some tough times lately, so relaxation is definitely on the top of the list of the things I want to do. For those times when I just want to relax and zone out of reality for a while, I like to turn to white noise apps, because who can resist the sounds of wildlife in the forest or a pounding thunderstorm when they just want to drift off into sleep? I know I can’t, and that’s why I’ve been a big fan of Taptanium’s other apps, which include Thunderspace, Windy, Sunny, and Sleepy Fan. So when the news of another app from the studio hit my inbox, and promised the sounds of nature in a gorgeous forest, I had to check it out for myself.

Since Away is the “sequel” to Windy and Sunny, it follows in their footsteps by giving users beautiful forest scenes that move freely and have depth to them thanks to the 3-D parallax technology. So just move your device around and the scene will shift, allowing you to see more of your surroundings. The scenes look stunning, as if they are just works of art on your screen, and full of small details and textures. The colors are bright and vivid, and the forest just looks as lush as you would imagine in your dreams. The one thing that sets Away apart from the other apps is the fact that there is only one scene, but there is a dynamic day and night cycle in the app, and you can choose your favorite time of day to change the lighting and sounds as you please. The animations in Away are incredibly smooth and fluid, so I had no issues on my iPhone 6s Plus. The 3-D sounds in Away are peaceful and calming, since you hear the sounds of the forest. If you’re a fan of wildlife and forest sounds, then Away is the perfect app for you. While you can use Away with just the device speakers, it is recommended to use headphones or earbuds for a truly immersive experience.

When you launch Away for the first time, you’ll get a short introduction and then the app lets you get started with your relaxing session right away. Just tap on the Play button to start the white noise, and just sit back and unwind. You can pause it at any time by tapping the same button. Another nice feature of Away is the fact that there is a virtual microphone on the screen that users are able to drag around. What this does is amplify the sound effects of the spot that you drag it onto, so if you prefer hearing more river sounds, just move the microphone there. Having this option is nice since it gives users a bit more customization with the scene, since there is only one.

Despite only one forest scene available, you can tap on the sliders button in the bottom right corner to do some more tweaking. From here, you can adjust the overall volume of Away, as well as choose the time of day that best suites your mood at the moment. You can go for night, sunrise, morning and afternoon, or sunset. The wildlife that appears in the scene will change depending on the time of day, and this also means that different sounds are available when you move the virtual microphone around. Even though it seems like Away is simple by just having one scene for users, the customization options give the entire app a fun layer of depth that the other ones just didn’t quite have, so it’s nice.

Like the other apps by Taptanium, you can tap on the timer button in the top left corner to set a sleep timer, where the app will automatically stop playing after the allotted time has passed. This is great for those who like to use these white noise apps to help get some sleep, and not have to worry about the app running all night long. The default option is set to an hour and 30 minutes, but you can change it to however long you’d like.

I’ve been a fan of the Taptanium apps for a long time now, and I love seeing new ones added to the collection. Just like the rest of them, Away is downright exquisite with the artistic aesthetics, the 20 different nature sounds (recorded right in Hollywood) give users the right sense of tranquility and zen, and it’s incredibly easy and intuitive to use. If you have been looking for a white noise app that brings the great outdoors to you, then look no further than Away.

I highly recommend Away if you’re a fan of white noise apps, nature, or enjoy the rest of Taptanium’s work. It’s one of the best ways to just sit back and relax after a stressful day. You can find Away on the App Store as a universal download for the iPhone and iPad for just $2.99. There are no in-app purchases.